It should be noted that AA has a lower success rate in abstinence-from-alcohol than people who quit "cold turkey" without such a program. There is no good psychological reason to think telling people they are powerless and utterly dependent will help them gain the tools necessary to address their emotional problems in non-destructive ways.

Most people who drink too much are DEPRESSED. Treating their depression while they abstain from alcohol (which makes depression worse) through a combination of talk therapy and anti-depressant medication is much more likely to solve their BEHAVIORAL problem of self-medicating with alcohol. (

AA says that their program is 100% effective. It's the no true scottsman fallacy ...

If you drift away from AA , then you didn't actually take the program seriously. If you attend all the meetings for 30 years and relapse, it's because you didn't properly follow through with one of the 12 steps, yada yada yada.

The 12 steps is a load of BS. I beat my addiction after having over a dozen people harrassing me in an in facility treatment center. I told them all that I was an Atheist and they kept saying ' Choose a higher power ... ! '

I refused to do this. They told me I would never get better if I didn't admit helplessness. I am perfectly fine now, never went to meetings outside of my therapy and never completed most of the 12 steps. The entire program is hogwash.

Let me first state that I am extremely appreciative of this discussion.

The 12 steps have long been an issue for me, as I see little distinction between shirking responsibility as a result of intoxication, or as a result of religious worship. Inaction stemming from belief in a higher power, has the same negative impacts as inaction from a drunken stupor. In both cases an individual stops taking responsibility for their own actions.

Now in response to your question, there needs to be a motivation outside just getting sober. A reason being sober is a better option.

Like any recovering addict, having a project or anything they can focus energy on, a positive distraction is likely to have major impacts. This provides an alternative to obsessing about the feeling of emptiness that may remain once alcohol stops hiding the underlying issues that have resulted in the dependency. Additionally, the addict's sobriety is reinforced by the recognition they could not accomplish their given project were they still intoxicated.

An atheist recognizes that any step forward will have to be on their own terms. An atheist does not have the option to put their problems on God; they are forced to take responsibility themselves. While I would imagine this road is much more challenging, in the end, they have succeeded on their own, without putting hope or faith in their success in the hands of another.